Neighbourly Notes – 12 July 2018

ALL THE BEST: Jason Sharrock married Meg Walwyn at The C Club in Chintsa East, on Saturday, June 30. We wish the couple a long and happy life together. Picture: JOHN BIRCH

WE are not aware of much happening this weekend, so let’s jump straight in with a disturbing story of Ndlambe Municipality debiting a bank account without permission or even notification. Jenni Waters was most perturbed recently when studying her account statement and seeing a withdrawal of over R400 she had not authorised. She spoke to the bank and ascertained the money was withdrawn by Ndlambe Municipality. Waters reasoned that the only way the municipality could have knowledge of her bank account details (Waters’ bank account is held at a branch in Newton Park, Port Elizabeth) was through attorneys Neave Stotter, as they had acted as conveyance attorneys when she sold her George Street home seven years previously. This could be a problem for everyone if the municipality can legally access your account and withdraw money as they please. Unfortunately, municipal spokesman, Cecil Mbolekwa, had not answered our questions about the incident by Wednesday so we still do not have an explanation as to what actually transpired.

WELL, most people are congratulating the lions at Sibuya Game Reserve who apparently killed at least one rhino poacher, if not more, early last week. Owner of the reserve, Nick Fox, took time to issue press releases to inform the public on the status of the lions who seem to be just doing their normal “lion things” around the reserve and do not seem at all more aggressive having eaten human flesh. Fox reported that the poachers had been carrying all the equipment required to hunt and kill a rhino for its horn, including food for a few days. They were obviously intent on spending a few days on the reserve but their time there was cut short when they inadvertently crossed the path of the lion pride and at least one of them was killed. Our ancient ancestors were obviously more adept at hunting than these damn-fool poachers and, in my opinion, the inept poachers deserved exactly what happened to them. As someone wrote on Facebook, “Give that Lion a Bells”.

ON to national news and what is happening in Durban? An explosive device was discovered and detonated by police under controlled conditions at Greyville Racecourse, where the Durban July took place. Other devices were discovered at the Gateway Mall and, in May, at a Durban mosque and the latest, at a SPAR store in Wentworth. Is this related to the political violence experienced in the province, terrorism against Muslims or just random acts of violence? It’s difficult to tell as no one has taken responsibility for the bombs as yet. However, the police have asked that residents in the area remain vigilant but not to spread hoaxes that seem to proliferate when real danger is in the air.

THE South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) and the South African Post Office (Sapo) should be hauled over the coals for what they have done to our people, many of whom rely entirely on grants to survive. There has been ample time for any reasonable organisation to have made plans to ensure the grants could be paid on-time but, with messing people around regarding the issuing of new Sassa cards and Sapo stalling, many have gone hungry in the last week or so. When CEO of Sapo, Mark Barnes, came to Port Alfred and spoke at the Royal St Andrews Hotel in November 2015 it was like a breath of fresh air and many thought that this well-respected businessman was going to improve the services offered by the organisation. But between Barnes and the cunning Bathabile Dlamini, problems just seem to be getting worse for grant recipients. Let’s hope someone steps in to fix the problems, ye, at this time it seems all we can do is wait and pray.

SPECIAL birthday wishes to ‘the best brother in the world’, Gilbert Coetzee from Coleen and Owen Moore on the celebration of your 70th milestone.

BUSINESSES celebrating the success of another year with best wishes for many more anniversaries to ReMax Ocean Club Kenton-on-Sea, Sungwa Bricks.

AT the time of going to press and with last year’s figures in brackets to compare against, the Rand was trading at R13.45/$ (R13.39), R17.84/£ (R17.29) and R15.79/euro (R15.33). Gold was trading at $1 251.10 per fine ounce ($1 217.55) with platinum at $848.00 ($904.20) with Brent Crude Oil at $77.22 per barrel ($48.19).

SPECIAL thoughts and prayers are with all those folk who are not well, who are having or have already had tests, operations and treatments. “Sterkte” to Roy Potter, Andrew de Vries, Emilene Bruwer, Jenny Groenewald, Mark Price and Chris de Wet Steyn.

CONGRATULATIONS to all couples celebrating a wedding anniversary this week, especially Ryan and Jo le Roux, Gavin and Amanda Rathbone and Andrew and Isobel Meyer.

ON to football World Cup in Russia (or soccer as the Americans would have it, being a contraction of the word “association”). So far it has been a pretty exciting two weeks of footie, a feast of goals, penalties and much more. Brazil is out despite, or maybe because of my prediction. After all, I predicted Britain would not leave the EU and that Donald Trump was never going to be president of the US. At the time of writing, England are still to play Croatia in the second semifinal but I don’t want to jinx anything, so I remain silent while waiting to see who will compete in the final against France on Sunday at 5pm local time. Oh, and although I am still very suspicious of the SABC, they must be congratulated for the feast of football they have provided to all their supporters throughout South Africa.

THOUGHT for the week: “Prosperity depends more on wanting what you have than having what you want”.